Workers Solidarity Movement

Many of the hundred thousand plus people who took part in Saturday's demonstration against the IMF/ECB four year plan would be disturbed to know that mixed among them were a number of secret police disguised as protesters. And it appears these Special Branch operatives were among the small breakaway march to the Dail that occurred after the main protest and which some media outlets seized on as 'proof' of the violence the Garda and that section of the media had been hyping in advance of the protest. 

The WSM welcomes the statement by Chief Superintendent Michael O'Sullivan about the groups and individuals who wish to exploit the fact that thousands will be on the street tomorrow, and use that for their own ends.

This article was written prior to the big ICTU anti-cuts demonstration of November 2010 and in the afterfath of a large anti-student fees demonstration where a two thousand strong militant breakaway was attacked by Gardaí.

An article headlined "Gardaí on alert for Dublin protest" published this evening on the Irish Times website is a clear attempt by the political establishment to divide protesters and create an atmosphere of fear amongst those attending.

Garda Chief Supt Michael O'Sullivan is quoted as saying “there are individuals and groups who seek to exploit such events for their own ends”. This is a globally recognised police tactic of trying to divide the movement into "good" and "bad" protesters. This follows weeks on from disturbances at the national student march where Gardaí in riot gear launched an unprovoked attack on demonstrators.

In a further escalation of police repression against anti-bailout protesters, a motorbike Garda attacked at least two Sinn Féin TDs (elected members of the Irish parliament) in front of the world's TV cameras today.  The TDs were attempting to push back a small number of demonstrators who had pushed through the gates of government buildings.  From TV footage the demonstration seems to have been mostly composed of fellow members of Sinn Féin.

WSM reporters took part in the student march against Garda Brutality in Dublin called by Free Educations for Everyone and the Students in Solidarity networks. Over 600 people took part in the demonstration which marched from the Wolfe Tone statue to Pearse street police station.  It followed on from the previous Wednesdays Garda attacks on students protesting the planned increase in fees. We had provided live coverage from that protest as the Garda attacked the students with horses, dogs, vans and batons and we again provide live coverage from this protest which is archived here.

In an important gesture of solidarity in the face of media attacks on student protesters and the attempts by the USI student union leadership to undermine effective protest university teachers who are members of the National University of Ireland Maynooth IFUT Branch Committee sent the letter below to NUI Maynooth Student Union President congratulating the students on demonstrating in defense of Irish education and expressing grave concern at the Garda attack on the studnents that took place on the Wednesday November the 3rd.

Six days after last weeks Garda riot in Dublin the state TV channel was finally forced to broadcast the footage of cops beating students that has been circulating on the internet from the time of the assaults. The RTE 1 TV report referenced the fact that thousands of people were viewing this footage at a couple of points in the report including at one point admitting that 86,000 had viewed one clip.

The WSM has called for support for the Student Protest Against Garda Brutality called by students from the Free Education for Everyone and Students in Solidarity networks. Next month’s budget will see savage attacks on public services and people’s living standards in order to protect the wealthy. A very clear message is now being delivered to the people of this state. The gardaí and their political masters want to frighten people off the streets, they do not want us to exercise our democratic right to protest

The WSM has released a press statement condemning the Garda attacks on student protesters in Dublin today during which many students were injured by Garda batons.  We say that we need to stand together in this period of attack on our quality of life and futures. What is clear today that like elsewhere around Europe and the rest of the world, police repression will be used by the state to try an make our movements for social justice and equality fearful and less open and effective.

For an account of the protests as they happened with videos see Riot police attack students after they storm Department of Finance in Dublin

Riot police attacked students in Dublin today with dogs, armoured vehicles and horses after the students protesting against government cuts occupied the Department of Finance and threw eggs at the Dail.

Upwards of thirty students occupied the Department of Finance in the center of Dublin with a couple of hundred supporting them in the streets outside.

Another larger group of students was reported outside the Dail throwing cans & bottles at it. Several students were injured in the suppression of the protest.

Tens of thousands of students were demonstrating as part of the USI protests against plans to introduce fees. The students carrying out the occupation appear to have broken away from the main demonstration which took place around the corner in Merrion Square. Student members of the WSM, eirigi and the SWP were at the scene. The WSM members published the reports below to this site.